


You're Every Breath I Take

by TheItsyBitsyWriter



Category: Bucky Barnes - Fandom, Steve Rogers - Fandom, Stucky - Fandom
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, BUCKY IS JEALOUS, Boys In Love, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Happy Ending, I don't know anything, I don't know what I'm doing, I wanted to see if I could do it, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sadness, Schmoop, Someone make me stop, Steve Rogers in love, Steve is jealous, Stucky - Freeform, They're both young, a walk through life, basically Stucky, bucky barnes in love, but we do get other brief glimpses of relationships, is it underage if they're both underage?, maybe canon divergence, really - Freeform, turns out I can, underage maybe?, what even am I doing?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 19:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19216090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheItsyBitsyWriter/pseuds/TheItsyBitsyWriter
Summary: The five times Steve Rogers kissed someone and didn't like it one bit, and the one time he did.ORSteve kisses four other people before realizing that he only likes kissing Bucky.





	You're Every Breath I Take

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to very sliiiiightly angsty and sad (because what about SteveBucky's life isn't? *cue sad yeehaw*) but mostly it's going to be schmoopy and fluffy, and I was in the mood for a good old grin-fest after writing angst and reading even more angst.  
> Enjoy x

**_ July 24th, 1932. _ **

Steve Rogers was fourteen years old when he kissed someone for the very first time.

It was on a slightly windy Sunday in July, and a group of friends from the Brooklyn Public High School decided to have a little picnic down by the creek. James “Bucky” Barnes was the most popular boy in school, and the most desirable one, as well. He, alongside Steve, was to graduate the next year, and he was practically basking in the attention every single day. So when Bucky Barnes wanted a picnic with his friends, nobody could say no. And when Bucky Barnes declared that Steve Rogers would join the picnic, or otherwise there would be none— nobody had the spine to say a word to oppose it, not even Steve himself. So, helpless against all odds, that afternoon Steve was walking beside him, quiet as a mouse, while Bucky jabbered away loudly from his right.

They made it to the creek, with Bucky still talking Steve's ears off, and Steve occasionally contributing to the very one-sided conversation. Because when Bucky started going off like this, it was best to let him get it all out of his system. Bucky's circle of friends— who were Steve's _very_ _reluctant_ friends by simple association, awaited them by the creek. Robert Thompson noticed the pair first and called to Bucky loudly, and brought forward the attention of the rest: Delilah Jones, Joseph Sanders, Ruby Nichols, Frank Charles, and the new girl from school: Anna Scott. Everyone greeted Bucky as if they hadn't seen him for ages— instead of just one Saturday; the boys clapping him on his back and the girls practically falling over themselves while swooning, and all Bucky had done was give them one of his charming smiles, and a raised brow. Steve ducked his head and rolled his eyes, before Delilah Jones—who was perhaps the nicest girl in all of Brooklyn—touched his shoulder, greeted him, and made sure everyone knew he existed in the same place as them. Everyone else greeted him politely and with soft smiles too, but Steve could see right through them, they were being nice to him because Bucky would break someone’s jaw if they weren’t.

But it was Anna Scott's reaction to seeing him that surprised Steve the most: she actually stuck her hand out to him and gave him a wide, genuine grin, and even asked how he was doing. She was a transfer student from New Jersey, and she was Delilah's distant cousin on her mother's side. Steve choked out his greeting and told her that he was doing just fine, thanks, and asked how she was doing. Bucky had watched him interacting with Anna and had only smiled at him— it meant he was satisfied that Steve wouldn't die of boredom and loneliness. While he managed to somehow keep up a steady conversation with Anna, the rest of the kids stripped down— the girls to their bathing suits, and the boys to their swimming trunks (and Steve promptly turned their back on them)—and one by one entered the creek. Steve told Anna it was okay if she wanted to go in as well, and that he'd be alright by himself near the trees. 

Anna bit her lip in thought, looking between Steve and the creek, before she smiled apologetically, "I'll be back in just ten minutes, I promise."

"No, no, it's alright. Take your time, I'll be fine." he told her honestly. She smiled again, and quickly kissed him on the cheek before jogging off towards the creek, stripping to her own bathing suit in the process. Steve didn't linger around the bank for much longer, quickly turned around and walked back up the slope towards the trees— and in the process, missed Bucky watching Anna enter the creek, and watching Steve's retreating back, and then give her a scathing look.

Steve found himself a nice little spot under the shade of a thick tree and laid out the blanket Bucky had brought from his home, and sat on top of it. He rested his back against the trunk, and watched the pack in the water. Thirty seconds later, he closed his eyes and rested his head back against the tree. Maybe he could take a short nap while everyone else was in the creek, Lord knew he needed it, he was exhausted. The only reason why he'd even come with Bucky in the first place was that hi Ma, Sarah, was sleeping at home after having worked a really late shift at the hospital and had requested for him to go out.

He'd barely made it five minutes on the picnic blanket before Bucky was dropping down beside him on the blanket— all wet and half-naked. "You doing alright, pal? What's wrong?" he asked, bumping his wet shoulder into Steve's.

"I'm okay, Buck." Steve replied, shrugging, and opening his eyes to look at Bucky before glancing back towards the creek, "What happened to you, though? Why're you here, and not in the water?"

Bucky shrugged in a nonchalant fashion, "You were here, I just wanted to check up on you. What's wrong, Steve, really? You're moping again."

Steve sighed, "I just don't get why  _I've_ got to come with you to this picnic."

"You're my best guy, Stevie, I would never go anywhere without you— I never do." 

"I know, but I wish you would."

Bucky frowned tightly, "What? You want me to— to go out and about...  _without_ you?"

He made it sounds like it was the most unfathomable thing in the world, and Steve gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Well, why not? You've got your other friends, and they would honestly just be glad to be rid of me."

"Why do you say that? Has someone said anything to you?"

"No, Buck, it's not like that—"

"Because I'll punch their teeth in if they have. You're important to me, and I don't care what others say 'bout you, pal. I'm with you to the end of the line," Bucky said, leaning his shoulder right into Steve's and almost pushing him off balance, "I promise you. I don't care about them. I care about you only."

"Maybe that's the problem, Buck." Steve said, pushing at Bucky's shoulder and putting some distance between them, frowning tightly. "Maybe that's why they don't like me, 'cause you can't stop shoving me in their faces. I wish you'd just leave me alone sometimes, and do something by yourself."

The look on Bucky's face was heartbroken and simultaneously heartbreaking, but Steve had never been very smart when it came to emotions, he was more book-smart. For a good two minutes, they stared at each other in complete silence; Steve in slight anger and annoyance, and Bucky in stunned confusion. Fifteen seconds later, Delilah was calling out to Bucky, asking if everything was okay, so Bucky gave Steve another hurt look and stood up, before making his way back towards the creek, and passing by Anna Scott who was on her way up towards Steve.

“You okay?” She asked, sitting down next to Steve, where Bucky had sat moments before. “You seem upset.”

“I’m okay, Anna, I’m not upset.” Steve lied through his teeth, and asked her the same question he’d asked Bucky, why was she here and not down in the water with the others?

To that she smiled and replied, “I wasn’t having fun down there. Everyone’s got someone—” at this, Steve’s eyes involuntarily turned towards the creek again, and sure enough, Bucky had his mouth attached to that of Ruby Nichols’s, and probably had his tongue down her throat as well. Steve cringed inwardly and promptly turned back to Anna, “—‘sides you’re the only person whose actually genuinely nice to me.”

Steve smiled at that, and ducked his head. “Well, you’re the only one who is genuinely nice to me, as well.”

“Nah, that’s not fair,” said Anna, shaking her head, smiling. “Delilah’s pretty sweet on you, and James seems to like you a good bunch.”

Steve steamrolled straight past the little information about Delilah, and focused on the other part, “Yeah, well… Bucky and I’ve been friends since I can’t even remember. I think it’s more a habit now than anything else.”

Anna laughed, “I see…” a moment of silence passed then she asked, “So why do you call him ‘Bucky’? Everyone else seems to call him by his name.”

“Well, I’ve called him that forever. It’s a shortened version of his middle name; Buchanan. I don’t know why I started doing it, but I guess there are just some things exclusive to me only.”

Anna laughed again, “Understood. He’s your best friend and you’re possessive.”

“No, I— I wouldn’t say possessive. Protective is the better word. He’s my only friend and the only one who genuinely cares for me. I wouldn’t like to lose him.”

“If he was my friend, I wouldn’t want to lose him either.” She told him. “Though, you two seemed to be arguing just before.”

“Oh, that— no, that was nothing.” Steve told her airily, glancing back towards the creek to find all of them in pairs and dancing; Bucky with Ruth, Robert with Delilah, and Frank and Joseph pulling off a very comical routine. Steve’s eyes focused back on Bucky and he smiled fondly, “We argue a lot, but we always make it up to each other. I’ll draw him something later and he’ll come around. It’s what we do.”

“Do you draw a lot?” Anna asked, showing genuine interest.

Steve nodded, and turned back to face her, “Yeah. I’ve always drawn; I find it calming and grounding.” He talked about his passion for art for a few more minutes, and stopped only when he realized he was rambling. Then he realized this was the longest conversation he’d ever held with a girl… and that he was genuinely comfortable doing it.

Anna was now watching him with a soft smile on her beautiful face. She told him, “You’re the most interesting boy I’ve met in Brooklyn, Steve. Your girlfriend is lucky.”

And most ungracefully, Steve snorted a laugh at that. “Yeah, she would be if she existed. I don’t have a girlfriend, Anna.”

“What?” Anna gasped, as if she’d never heard anything more revolting— and Steve knew that she must have had, being a young black girl from New Jersey; of course she’d heard horrible things, most of them about herself. “That’s not true! You’re lying!” And when Steve shrugged lightly, her eyes widened. “Well, why not?”

Steve blushed in embarrassment. “Girls tend to like guys like Robert, or Bucky. Not me, I’m the kind of guy who sits under trees by himself and draws sketches of mangy alley cats.”

“You have a sketch of a mangy alley cat? You’ll have to show me someday!” Anna exclaimed, and for the first time, Steve genuinely laughed. Anna was great, he liked her already. A minute passed by in silence, and then Anna said, “Well, Steve, I think the girls of Brooklyn have been missing out for a long time. I think that you’re very great, and I like you, Steve. And I think that you’d make a great boyfriend.”

Steve turned his head slowly towards Anna, and blinked at her in surprise. Anna waited a moment, and then slowly began to lean in towards his mouth, and Steve’s breath hitched; he felt like if he leaned in, as well, she would pull away and laugh at him, tell him all of this was a prank. But when Anna stopped for about ten seconds just a few breaths away from his lips, Steve realized she was giving him a chance to pull away if he wanted to. And Steve didn’t— instead, he slowly leaned in and closed to distance between them. Their mouths met and the world slowly fell away. Anna smiled into the kiss and pressed forward a bit more, but Steve nearly groaned— not with arousal, but with near disappointment, but he held it back, instead slowly detached his mouth from hers. This was his first kiss, and he’d expected fireworks, tingles and desire, instead he felt a building, heavy sense of disappointment and regret.

Now Steve was no expert on kissing, but he knew this wasn’t supposed to feel like this— when Bucky had kissed Lorraine, the year before, he’d described his first kiss as ‘magical’, but if someone asked Steve to describe his, he’d do it as ‘disappointing’. He hadn’t felt any tingles or fireworks— he’d felt _nothing_. So Steve quietly chalked it up to one of the many things wrong with him; he didn’t like kissing, or he couldn’t kiss.

But Anna was smiling in a dazed fashion, and Steve smiled back at her for her sake. “Steve, I—” but she was cut off by wolf whistles and cheering and giggling. They looked up and realized they had an entire audience; everyone had gotten out of the creek and was watching the pair. Anna gave a bashful, half-suppressed laugh, and got up, but she barely made it past their unanticipated audience, before the girls surrounded her, giggling.

The boys made their way towards Steve and Robert gave him a slight punch to his shoulder, “Alright, pal.”

But Steve only looked at Bucky, who looked… rather upset, and perhaps a bit angry. So Steve, who was basically stupid as a brick wall, smiled victoriously at him, expecting a smile in return. But Bucky’s jaw hardened and he looked away, before he actually _walked_ away. And Steve, who was still stupid as all hell, closed his eyes again, smiling to himself in a faux satisfied way, on the inside, he was cringing himself to death.

He thought to himself that Bucky was just upset about their argument from earlier, because he had no other reason to be upset. He thought that they’d go to Steve’s home that day, since he was staying over because his parents and sisters were visiting his aunt in Buffalo— and they’d talk about it. He thought he’d draw a pretty sketch of Bucky for him, and they’d forget about their little argument, that Bucky would be just _fine_.

Steven Grant Rogers was still dumb as a chair, and he still wasn’t smart it came to emotions.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, whaddaya know? I actually can do fluffy schmoop if I set my mind to it. Also, I don't really know just where this came from, since fluff isn't typically my forte, but I was previously binging the fifth season of Once Upon a Time, and my CaptainSwan heart was filled and content, so I guess that's the root of it?  
> I hope you guys enjoyed this one, another one will be up soon, I think :)


End file.
